The group was awarded a $385,000 federal grant through the United States Department of Agriculture’s Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) to assist with the cost of the project.

It’s a unique situation where distribution cooperatives will own the generation and their wholesale power provider, Dairyland Power Cooperative, of La Crosse, Wis. purchases all the energy from the 517 kilowatt (kW) solar system that produces enough energy to power about 60 homes. Dragonfly Solar, also of Minnesota (Lakeville), had the system operational July 2014.

Other options

If you have considered installing renewable energy to power your home, but are not comfortable with the long-term investment, Evergreen is a great alternative. Evergreen is a renewable energy program available for homes, farms or businesses.